Kaila! Design Your Own Newspaper Project
FORTY-NINE schools registered this year for the Kaila! Design Your Own Newspaper.
It was an overwhelming response from secondary schools around the country. This year recorded the highest number of schools to participate in this project.
“As usual, judging the DYON every year is never easy. The quality of content keeps improving. Students are putting in that extra effort to try and get an edge over other schools,” said The Fiji
Times editor Fred Wesley.
“We were impressed with the newspapers that were designed by the schools that were part of this project.
“It is clear that students are interested in many things, and that includes issues that affect them in their communities, and at the national level.
“I take this opportunity to acknowledge the 49 schools that were part of this year’s project. I also would like to thank the people behind the scenes, the teachers and parents.
“We hope they have been empowered by this project and hopefully it will leave an indelible impression on their minds.
“They spoke their minds, designed their own pages, raised issues that were important to them, and there was the hope of solutions in some of the reports published. I believe the key was them discovering the confidence to be a catalyst for change.”
In February, the Kaila! team visited schools to explain the criteria. Out of the 49 schools, 15 were from the Central Division, five from the North and the Western Division recorded the highest number of participants with 29 schools.
Thirty-five schools met the due date and had their newspaper
designs published in the Kaila! newspaper.
A total of 24 schools, all first-timers, were registered for the competition.
However, only 13 schools managed to pull through on time and these included schools such as: Nasikawa Vision College in Korolevu; Nakauvadra High School in Rakiraki; Lomawai Secondary School in Sigatoka; Nadroga Arya College in Sigatoka; Ba Sanatan College; and Ba Sangam College; Batinikama College in Labasa; Mulomulo Secondary School in Nadi.
These also included our Suva-based schools John Wesley College, Bhawani Dayal College, Rishkul Sanatan College, Nabua Secondary School and DAV College in Suva.
Interesting topics were highlighted in the articles written by students from climate change, bullying, developments, financial challenges, literacy, health, pollution and education.
Students are slowly grasping the idea of the work involved in the production of a newspaper.
The importance of transparency when highlighting issues, understood the importance of presentation and teamwork.
The Kaila! team congratulates the winning schools and individual contributors for a job well done and wishes all students the best in their studies.